president's message - the Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey

4BTCNJ Screams for Ice Creamsocializing.Club meeting NewsOn Thursday, July 12th, the screaming forice cream within BTCNJ will stop! That’sright. It is time for our umpteenth AnnualIce Cream Social. I know that some of you(read BTCNJ officers) will be very disappointedby only having a brief businessmeeting but this is necessary to prevent atotal meltdown of the ice cream and ourhosts, Barbara Klein and Doug Chucka.For July’s meeting, BTCNJ’s focus will beon eating ice cream and (you guessed it)Information on ice cream flavor selections was not available in timefor July’s MasterLink although a few Ramapo Rally volunteers thatwere willing to sacrifice their hill climbing ability are busy on theIce Cream Taste Test Committee. Please contact Steve Greenbergat steve551@optonline.net to volunteer for anything including theRamapo Rally. We promise he will give you an exciting opportunitythat is less fattening.Date: Thursday, July 12, 2012Time: 7:30 pmPlace: Ridgewood Public Library125 North Maple AvenueRidgewood NJ 07450Reminder: We meet in a library so you scream, I scream, we allscream for ice cream will be no more than hushed whispers.- Barbara KleinJune Meeting Wrap-upMore than 70 BTCNJ members were in attendance as Dan Furphy, anAHA CPR/First Aid Instructor, and the featured June meeting speaker,discussed first aid basics and CPR.Dan has been in a leadership role at the Fair Lawn Ambulance Corpsince 2000 and most recently has been the Chief for the past 6 years.He also has been working per diem for Valley Hospital teaching CPRand First Aid.volunteer for the Ramapo rallyThe Ramapo Rally is August 19th this year. Registration is nowopen and we need to start getting volunteers. It takes about 200volunteers to have a successful Rally. Here are the volunteer opportunities:Prior to Rally day:• Arrow painting• Food pick-up• Friday water pick-up• Friday supply pick-up• Saturday site set-upAugust 9th Meeting ProgramWhy Bicycling Advocacy MattersPresented by Cyndi Steiner and Ted SemegranMany of us enjoy riding on club rides and participating in the manywonderful club activities that BTCNJ provides. But how many areaware of the cycling “scene” at the national level, and how cyclingcan shape the future of this country? Cycling impacts obesity rates,climate change, our dependence on foreign fuel, and how we designand build our cities and suburbs. Only 1.6% of federal transportationdollars are spent on bicycling and pedestrian projects, yet 10% of allDan answered numerous questions from the BTCNJ audience, rangingfrom the latest techniques in CPR to recognizing the signs ofdehydration and stroke. Most telling was when he touched on anincident about a biker falling off his bike for no apparent reason. Danintimated that a more serious health issue was probably the cause.BTCNJ will be scheduling a first aid/CPR certification session in thefall. In 2011, Dan and members from the Fair Lawn Ambulance Corpsran two first aid certification sessions with more than 30 membersfrom BTCNJ attending. Check future issues of the Masterlink and theBTCNJ Web Site for more information.- Ralph MontiDay of Rally:• Registration• Manning rest stops• Leading rides• Start site assistance• Breakfast (need team leader) plus members• Set-up and serve lunch• Parking• Clean-up• SAG.This is a great opportunity to give back to the club. For moreinformation or to volunteer, contact Steve Greenberg at steve551@optonline.net.- Steve Greenberg, Volunteer Developmenttrips taken by Americans are either walked or biked.Come to the August meeting and learn the important bicycling andpedestrian “numbers” at the national and state level and learn howyou can get involved and help influence the decisions that are beingmade, both in the US and New Jersey legislatures. This presentationwill be given by Cyndi Steiner, a long-time clubmember and a newlyappointed board member of the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition,and by our Legislative Affairs board member, Ted Semegran, who isalso a past board member (and founder) of the Coalition. We hope tosee you there!